MP Torch Run This Morning

For the eleventh year in a row the Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility will join other law enforcement agencies in carrying the Special Olympics Torch to Cyclone Stadium in Ames, Iowa.

Employees of the Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility’s will bike the torch from the Mt. Pleasant Treatment to the city square, circle the square and bike south finishing back at the Treatment Facility on Tuesday May 24, 2011. The torch relay will begin at 11.00 am. The employees will circle the Mt. Pleasant Square at approximately 11:05 am. Mt. Pleasant Police will provide escorts in the front and back of the team.

The Law enforcement Torch Run is the largest grass-roots fund raising program in our nation that benefits Special Olympics. The run itself is a story of heart and conviction. What began in 1981 as a local event to enhance the image of the Wichita Kansas Police Department is now a series of relay runs involving law enforcement from 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several foreign countries.

Special Olympics Iowa Association has served Iowans with intellectual disabilities for over 40 years. With the founding of Special Olympics in 1968, the first competition in Iowa had fewer than 100 participating athletes. In 2009, SOIA provided training and competition in 22 sports for over 12,850 athletics representing each of Iowa’s 99 counties.